


Spectre Of The Night

by Susu_st



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Ficlet, Fluff, Getting Together, Ghost Hunting AU, Humour, M/M, Mild Horror, Proposal Week Ficlet Exchange, References to sentient genitalia, Swearing, Teen AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 23:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15497418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Susu_st/pseuds/Susu_st
Summary: Robert hates to be that guy, all I told you so! and smug. It just isn’t in his nature. But when the front door has ‘OPEN FOR DEATH’ scratched into it, going inside is definitely the last thing you should do. And, okay, maybe he was the one who opened it but that’s—besides the point. He’d stillsaid.He just needs to get out of here, find Aaron, and make sure he knowsabsolutely none of this is Robert’s fault.





	Spectre Of The Night

**Author's Note:**

> For robertjacobsugdens on tumblr! I really really hope you enjoy any part part of this
> 
> Edit: mistakes finally fixed lmao

It’s pissing down with rain, the world is drenched in the black of night and Robert heard thunder on his way over here. To boil it down: it’s the perfect night for ghost-hunting, or the perfect night to get eaten by a demon. Depending on how you look at it.Not for the first time that night he wonders what the hell he’s doing here, and every time he just stares at his dick accusingly.

 

Vic had asked him to tag along with her, her mate Finn, and her halfwit boyfriend Adam to some haunted house. All Adam’s idea of course. Midway through him laughing in her face, she had punched him in the arm and very pointedly said: “Aaron’s going too, you prat.”

 

And that had been that.

 

He never should have told her about him and Aaron’s... encounter. Eight days and seven nights ago the pair of them had had it off round back of the bike sheds and Robert’s been a little bit gone ever since. Aaron had just smirked at him and Robert hadn’t been able to get his hand down his trousers fast enough. Something about his scuffed up trainers, gloomy clothing, and perpetual scowl really did it for Robert. (The haircut he could take or leave, to be honest. Even with it he was out of Robert’s league.) They’ve not spoken to one another since though, which is not ideal. Robert plans to rectify this tonight and ask Aaron out.

 

“Go on then. What’s the deal?” Aaron asks Adam, nudging him with his shoulder and nodding his head towards the huge house. Robert flushes slightly for no reason at all.

 

“Well, a century ago a woman named Ida Redpath was found drowned in her bath. They thought it was an accident—suicide—until they opened her mouth and saw her tongue was cut out and missing,” Adam says, leaning forward to watch for their reactions.

 

“So she was murdered. Was it her husband? It’s always the husband,” Finn dismisses.

 

“Poor girl,” Vic mutters to herself.

 

“Here’s the thing: she lived alone. Locals thought she was a witch.”

 

“A witch?” Robert repeats. Ghosts weren’t real (obviously)—but witchcraft? If Robert had a list of supernatural entities he did not want to cross witches would be at the very tippy top. That’s just common sense.

 

Adam leans into the circle they’ve all formed, everyone unconsciously doing the same. “Oh aye. Apparently she chopped her own tongue off in some sacrificial ritual to give the devil her soul. But she mucked it up somehow and Satan himself trapped her soul here instead, still trying to complete the same ritual with whoever disturbs her.”

 

Lighting strikes and thunder follows on cue. Vic and Finn shriek. Robert manages to bite his tongue though he can’t stop himself from jerking in fright. Shite. Aaron definitely noticed: he’s looking right at him. God he’s fit. This is something Robert has always known and doesn’t forget, however when that face and body is pointed in his direction it’s pretty overwhelming.

 

“So what do we do once we find this ghost, then?” Robert asks, thankful for the functioning part of his brain that hasn’t given into wondering is Aaron would notice if Robert took his had. 

 

A silence has never been so damning.

 

“Oh for God’s sake, Adam!” Vic whines, chagrined.

 

“Screw this. I’m away home—you all can get murdered by some dead witch with a tongue fetish while I’m all tucked up and cozy in bed.” With that, Finn hops in his car and drives off without a glance back. Robert considers doing the same at the thought of some tongueless hag going for him. Except.

 

He glances down at his dick again. Simultaneously his greatest ally and cruelest tormentor.

 

Adam catches his eye (did he notice Robert glaring at his dick?) “What about you? Not chickening out, are ya?” Robert hates him. Has he said?

 

He sees Aaron looking at him (again), surprisingly agog, so he has to pull something out his arse to recover from his earlier cowardice. Quick, say something cool.

 

“No,” he squeaks. Bloody fucking _brilliant_.

 

 

****

 

 

Robert hates to be that guy, all I told you so! and smug. It just isn’t in his nature. But when the front door has ‘OPEN FOR DEATH’ scratched into it, going inside definitely the last thing you should do. And, okay, maybe he was the one who opened it but. That’s besides the point—He’d still _said_.

 

He just needs to get out of here, find Aaron, and make sure he knows absolutely none of this is Robert’s fault.

 

Easier said than done, considering Robert hasn’t seen anyone for the last thirty minutes or so. His phone had died pretty much as soon as he’d stepped into the house, eliminating his ability to see, and he’s been sat in this closet ever since he’d heard the floorboards creak behind him. He doesn’t even know if Vic and Aaron are still in here (Adam can do one, Mr. Hey-let’s-split-up) or if he’s all alone and lost in this stupid house. Two things are certain: this place is spectacularly haunted and Robert is going to die. He’d stuck his head out the door to see if he was near an exit, and instead had seen—well, nothing. It’s pitch black. But he’d thought he’d maybe seen something that kind of looked like a soul sucking ghost. He wasn’t taking any chances.

 

“Robert! Robert! Stop messing, I want to go home!” He hears Vic yell. If she feels safe enough to be bawling her head off Robert definitely wants to be where she is and not here.

 

He opens the door, shouts for Vic but no one responds. He blindly grapples down a hallway, pulling open and stepping into the first unlocked door he finds. The door slams shut behind him. Robert spins round and yanks the handle as hard as he can. It hits the floor with a mocking bang. There’s a beat where Robert just absorbs how truly tits up this whole night has gone for him.

 

He trips and falls into something, banging his coccyx and shoulder on his way down. Swearing, Robert goes to clamber out, fingers gripping onto the cool metal of a tap and oh.

 

This is it. The bath. He’s in the room where Ida Redpath sacrificed herself to the devil. He’s in that fucking bath. The scream that ejects itself from his lungs is high-pitched and gasping. He leaps out of the bath, uncoordinated and frantic. He throws hands out, feeling for some escape; a window, vent, lever to a hidden passageway or a bookcase hiding a secret door to freedom—he’s in a house that the devil had visited, a bookcase in a bathroom isn’t that wild! He snaps at the slagging voice in his head that, despite his terror, hasn’t shut up.

 

Only. He doesn’t remember that voice being quite so sexy sounding. And it’s suddenly a lot brighter in here. His eyes follow the beam of light to its source. Strong, fit, beautiful, Aaron is stood in the doorway. He didn’t realise he’d been audibly narrating his plight. Relief floods him and without thinking Robert flings himself into Aaron’s arms and sags into that hard chest. Aaron’s arms wrap around Robert and squeeze him comfortingly. Maybe he hasn’t blown it after all.

 

“Hey, it’s okay. Is Vic with you? Only I heard screaming.”

 

 

****

 

 

Robert is desolate. He’s in his pyjamas drowning his sorrows in a cup of milky tea, dealing with the trauma of being scared for his life but most profoundly the failure of his plan to charm Aaron into going out with him. Aaron probably thinks he’s a loser, any chance he had of Aaron liking him is ruined now. His life is over.

 

There’s a knock at the door. He doesn’t want to see another human ever again, but Vic yells for him to get it and there’s no way he can pretend no one’s home after that loud a screech.

 

“Aaron,” Robert says dumbly when he opens the door to the sight of Aaron fidgeting on his doorstep.

 

“Uh yeah. Hiya. I just wanted to see if you were alright? You seemed pretty freaked out...”

 

Robert blinks.

 

“Am I that obvious? Look, I’m sorry I left you hanging after last week. I just thought you weren’t interested but tonight you were—“ Charming? Handsome? Clever? “—staring and I thought maybe you’d... look d’ya wanna go out with me or what?”

 

He tries, he really does try, to respond. But things like basic motor functions are impossible when his most essential synapses are being electrocuted. It takes him a second to process the words coming out of Aaron’s mouth. Suddenly he feels an uncontrollable smile spread across his face and he’s stepping onto the wet concrete of his front steps in just his socks. He hears Aaron’s breath hitch.

 

Barely moment bleeds past before Robert brings his hand to brush against Aaron’s cheekbones, deliberate not to linger (he’s not soft), but he can’t resist running it down his jaw, neck—to his chest. Rather than pull away he clutches onto the opening of his hoodie. He should let go of him ( _he’s not soft_ ) but he’s never wanted to do anything less. Aaron just grins, blue eyes shining with something teasing, and leans toward Robert to kiss him with an inappropriate amount of tongue. Maybe it was worth it, after all. _Definitely_ worth it, Robert thinks, as he gets a handful of Aaron’s bum.

 

(Never again though. He’s shite at this ghost-busting lark.)

**Author's Note:**

> Any comments/kudos’ would be very much appreciated. I’m also on tumblr @ susu-st xx


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